An annual 3 day celebration of cinema in the beach town of Lavra in Portugal. Sister festival of the River Bend Film Festival in Goshen, IN, United States.

The Ocean Coast Film Festival is a competitive three day festival that showcases independent films from all over the world and provides a platform for filmmakers to meet other like-minded people.

Just 15 kilometers north of the city of Porto, winner of the Best European Destination award in 2017, the OCFF will quickly become a favorite among travelling filmmakers.

Awards & Prizes

Total Prize Value: $5650

Award List:
- Best Short Film
(Winner of this award will receive an $800 store credit in Evenant courses, courtesy of Evenant.)
(Winner of this award will receive the 'Hollywood LUT Bundle', courtesy of Color Grading Central.)

- Jordon Hodges Award for Best Short Drama
(Winner of this award will receive a $600 store credit in Evenant courses, courtesy of Evenant.)
(Winner of this award will receive the 'Hollywood LUT Bundle', courtesy of Color Grading Central.)

- Tim Richardson Award for Best Comedy Short
(Winner of this award will receive a $600 store credit in Evenant courses, courtesy of Evenant.)
(Winner of this award will receive the 'Hollywood LUT Bundle', courtesy of Color Grading Central.)

- Best Documentary Short
(Winner of this award will receive a $600 store credit in Evenant courses, courtesy of Evenant.)
(Winner of this award will receive the 'Hollywood LUT Bundle', courtesy of Color Grading Central.)

- Best Portuguese Short
(Winner of this award will receive a $600 store credit in Evenant courses, courtesy of Evenant.)
(Winner of this award will receive the 'Hollywood LUT Bundle', courtesy of Color Grading Central.)

- Best Student Short
(Winner of this award will receive a $500 store credit in Evenant courses, courtesy of Evenant.)

- Best Animation Short
(Winner of this award will receive a $400 store credit in Evenant courses, courtesy of Evenant.)

- Best Short Screenplay
(Winner of this award will receive a $300 store credit in Evenant courses, courtesy of Evenant.)

- Best Music Video
(Winner of this award will receive a $300 store credit in Evenant courses, courtesy of Evenant.)

- Best Local School/Institution Film
(Winner of this award will receive a $300 store credit in Evenant courses, courtesy of Evenant.)

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Hospitality & Benefits for filmmakers who get selected:
- 2 VIP filmmaker badges that give full access to all screenings and events
- Potential for one-on-one meetings with other filmmakers and industry professionals

Rules & Terms

Submission costs vary depending on category and discounts. When submitting to the festival you are agreeing, if selected, to screen the submitted film during the dates of the festival. OCFF will not pay any screening fees for presentation of the film during the festival. The only exception would be if there is a pre-negotiated agreement.

ENTRY REGULATIONS
The Ocean Coast Film Festival is a competitive showcase of feature films, documentaries and shorts. The OCFF reserves the right to determine the eligibility of any project submitted. Projects must be submitted for consideration on DVD, BluRay or preferably as an online screener. All entries should preferably have English or Portuguese subtitles. If you don’t have any subtitles at the time of submission don’t worry, we’ll consider your project without subtitles and, if selected, we will work with you to get them ready for exhibition at the film festival.

COMPETITION
For a list of competitive categories, please see our awards page. All films are selected and voted upon by an impartial jury of filmmakers, industry professionals and festival programmers.

SCREENING MATERIALS
If selected, the OCFF will require a digital copy of the film in the best quality available. If you have an Electronic Press Kit (EPK) you can send it along with the copy of the movie so we can use it for promotional activities (it can include high-resolution production stills, key art, bio and filmography of the director, production notes and full cast and crew credits).

REPRODUCTION AGREEMENT
Submission of an entry gives the OCFF permission to have excerpts of accepted work, including film trailers, shown in all promotional activities related to the festival.

NOTIFICATION
Films selected to the OCFF will be notified no later than April 1, 2018.

Any narrative film with a running time of less than 40 minutes.
In this category, you are eligible for the following awards:
Best Short Film; Jordon Hodges Award for Best Drama; Tim Richardson Award for Best Comedy; Best Animation Short.
Shorts made in Portugal are also eligible for the Best Portuguese Short Award.

Earlybird Deadline

Standard Fee: $15 USD

Regular Deadline

Standard Fee: $20 USD

Late Deadline

Standard Fee: $35 USD

Extended Deadline

Standard Fee: $50 USD

Documentary Short Films

Any narrative film with a running time of less than 40 minutes.
In this category, you are eligible for the following awards:
Best Documentary Short

Earlybird Deadline

Standard Fee: $15 USD

Regular Deadline

Standard Fee: $20 USD

Late Deadline

Standard Fee: $35 USD

Extended Deadline

Standard Fee: $50 USD

Student Short Films

Any narrative, animation or documentary film with a running time of less than 40 minutes.
In this category, you are eligible for the following awards:
Best Student Film

Earlybird Deadline

Standard Fee: $12 USD

Regular Deadline

Standard Fee: $17 USD

Late Deadline

Standard Fee: $25 USD

Extended Deadline

Standard Fee: $40 USD

Experimental Films/ Music Videos

Experimental film describes a range of filmmaking styles that are generally quite different from, and often opposed to, the practices of mainstream commercial and documentary filmmaking. "Avant-garde" is also used to describe this work. While "experimental" covers a wide range of practice, an "experimental film" is often characterized by the absence of linear narrative, the use of various abstracting techniques, the use of asynchronous sound or even the absence of any sound track. The goal is often to place the viewer in a more active and more thoughtful relationship to the film.
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A music video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes.
In this category, you are eligible for the following awards, depending on your project type:
Best Short Film; Best Portuguese Short Film; Best Music Video.

Earlybird Deadline

Standard Fee: $15 USD

Regular Deadline

Standard Fee: $20 USD

Late Deadline

Standard Fee: $35 USD

Extended Deadline

Standard Fee: $50 USD

Short Screenplays

The scripts must be under 30 pages.
In this category, you are eligible for the following award:
Best Short Screenplay

Earlybird Deadline

Standard Fee: $15 USD

Regular Deadline

Standard Fee: $20 USD

Late Deadline

Standard Fee: $35 USD

Extended Deadline

Standard Fee: $50 USD

Escola/Instituição Local - Local School/Institution

Curtas-metragens com uma duração inferior a 7 minutos (incluindo créditos).
Esta categoria é para escolas e instituições na zona de Lavra, Matosinhos.
Nesta categoria, está habilitado a ganhar o seguinte prémio:
Prémio para Melhor Curta realizada por uma Escola ou Instituição local
Any narrative work with a running time of less than 7 minutes.
This category is for movies made by schools and institutions in the area surrounding Lavra, Matosinhos.
In this category, you are eligible for the following award:
Best Local School/Institution Film